Brian Schmidt interviewed by Ragbir Bhathal in the Australian Astronomers oral history project [sound recording]
- Bib ID:
- 3703450
- Format:
- Audio
- Author:
- Schmidt, Brian, 1967-, interviewee
- Online Version:
- National Library of Australia digitised item
- Access Conditions:
- Access open for research, personal copies and public use.
- Description:
-
- 2006
- 3 digital audio tapes (ca. 195 min.)
- Series:
- Australian astronomers oral history project.
- Summary:
-
Brian Schmidt, born 1967 in Montana, U.S.A, talks about his family background; his home life and childhood; schooling; his views on religion; first interest in astronomy; mentors; his passion for science; influences; scientific heroes; undergraduate days at University of Arizona; his interaction with the astronomy department; his PhD at Harvard; Bart Bok; Robert Kirshner his supervisor; his PhD thesis on the Hubble constant, how fast the universe was expanding; his first job as an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics; his research interests; the start of his High-Z supernova team; his reason for joining Mount Stromlo Observatory; the research environment at Mount Stromlo and the well known astronomers at the institution; Type Ia, Type Ib and Type Ic supernovae and their significance; supernova SN - 1991BG and its implications; the genesis of the High-Z supernova team and its members.
Schmidt discusses constraints on cosmological models from the Hubble Space Telescope; observations of high-z supernovae; discovery of accelerating universe and implications for the nature of the universe; competition with Saul Perlmutter's team; techniques and instrumentation used by the two groups; the November 1998 paper, description on instrumentation and methods used on cosmic equation of state; a paper on BVRI light curves for 22 Type Ia supernovae; Gamma ray bursts and their connection to Type Ic supernovae, on the furthest known supernova; cosmological results from High-Z supernovae in paper published in 2003; problem of cosmological parameters; consensus on age of the universe; his research strategy or style; the Skymapper Project, what he hopes to achieve and progress on the project; the differences between Liberal and Labor government policies on science; strengths of Australian astronomy and where it should go in the next five to ten years; compares the training of PhDs in the US and Australia; his family; major achievements in life to date.
- Biography/History:
-
Professor Brian Schmidt is a Federation Fellow at the Australian National University's Mount Stromlo Observatory. He has made significant contributions in observational cosmology, supernovae, gamma ray bursts and all sky surveys. He is also the leader of the High-Z supernova team which discovered that the universe is accelerating. The discovery was named Science magazine's breakthrough of the year for 1998. Awarded the Australian Academy of Science's Pawsey Medal in 2001 and the Astronomical Society of India's Vainu Bappu Medal in 2002. He is the leader of Mount Stromlo's effort to build the Skymapper which will provide the first digital map of the southern sky.
- Notes:
-
- Recorded on June 15, 2006 at the Mt Stromlo Observatory, A.C.T.
- Also available online http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-218679228
- Index/Finding Aid Note:
- Timed summary (5 p.) and uncorrected transcript (typescript, 55 leaves).
- Subject:
- Occupation:
- Astronomers
- Other authors/contributors:
- Bhathal, Ragbir (Ragbir Singh), interviewer
- Related Records:
-
This belongs to the Australian astronomers oral history project.
This collection contains 38 records. - Copyright:
-
In Copyright
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- Reason for copyright status:
- Until 2076 [Created/Published Date + 70 Years]
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Sound Recording
- Published status:
- Unpublished
- Creation date:
- 2006
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